Gods and Gamblers
by Etcetera Kit
Summary: Sequel to 'Picking Up the Pieces'. It has been six years since Mongolia and the League is contacted by a mysterious man who wants them to embark on a 'need to know' basis mission. What happens when politics and government enter the picture? Discontinued.
1. Free Me

**Disclaimer: **The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**Author's Note:** This is the sequel to 'Picking Up the Pieces'. I recommend that you read 'Picking Up the Pieces' to know exactly how everyone got to this point. However, it is not required. There are several facts to know before reading-- 1) Nemo is in jail with a life sentence, 2) Jekyll and Mina are married and have four children, 3) Sawyer is married to Becky Thatcher and 4) Skinner is in and out of jail, still living as a thief. For more details please read 'Picking Up the Pieces.' Since time is moving rapidly into the summer months, I will try to update about once a week. With that said, enjoy!

**GODS AND GAMBLERS**

By Etcetera Kit

_There are hungry devils everywhere. It's on my soul they feast. Let me rise above the carcass of this all too mortal beast. If I had a chance, I'd fly away. I'd see myself released. I'd fly above the carcass of this poor pathetic beast._

_-the Man, 'the Nature of the Beast' from 'Whistle Down the Wind'_

__

**Prologue: Free Me**

_Free me! Can't you hear that's what I say- free me!_

One of the men who worked in the loading dock had managed to procure the journal for him. They were the men one went to when one wanted something that was not prison issued. A journal and supply of pens and ink was not prison issued. One could count the things that were prison issued- a shirt, a pair of pants, two pair of socks, a pair of shorts, a pair of work boots, a blanket, a pillow, a bar of soap and a Bible. All other toiletries were for public use in the bathroom. The journal was a rich leather-bound book and the large man who had delivered it had said with a grin: "Only the best for the Captain!"

The men who drove the supply wagons to and from the prison bought all the contraband items and the exchange was handled by slipping the items into the boxes that the prisoners unpacked. No one had any money in here- things were bartered for. And the three packs of cigarettes he had managed to become the owner of through various means were enough to purchase the journal and writing supplies.

He gingerly opened the journal to the first page. The scent of new paper mixed with the tinge of leather was pleasant and a change from the musty, sweaty smell of the prison that constantly plagued his nostrils. He ran a work-hardened hand over the page, reveling in the clean and new feeling that resulted. The paper was smooth and much finer than anything he had used before coming here. It almost made him wonder why the men had gone to such trouble to find something so grand. He almost never talked to them, preferring to keep to himself and quietly re-read the letters that he received almost weekly.

Smiling behind his beard that the guards had never forced him to shave off, he unscrewed the lid to the ink and gently laid it on the edge of the small table in his cell. The moon was out that night and was quite bright- providing more than enough light to write by. He gently dipped the pen in the ink and put it to the paper. But what to write? He thought for a moment and then wrote:

_August 12, 1905_

_ I have been here nearly six years. I arrived here, in this place, on August the twentieth in the year eighteen hundred and ninety nine. My crime has been classified as 'piracy' although many other crimes fall under that category as well. I am accused of theft, murder, assaulting officers of the Crown, evading arrest and many other more minor crimes. I am guilty of these crimes? Yes. However, I felt remorse for those things many years before I came here. It was an epiphany of sorts- how I came to care for people instead of wealth and power. I will not have power when I leave here._

_ Hasaan has written for many years now and four years ago he wrote to tell me that he had the Nautilus put in dry dock. My ship- the Sword of the Ocean and the jewel of my entire life- is now subjected to dry dock, when it should be roaming the oceans as a mighty power. But I do not blame Hasaan for this- there was no practical way to keep the crew aboard and functioning. Hasaan was my butler for many years and now he is the butler for some dear friends of mine- friends that I did not, unfortunately, meet until just months before my arrest._

_ I am happy for Hasaan- Henry and Mina are wonderful people- and from his letters, my former butler appears to be thriving. The Jekylls have four children now- a boy who just turned five, twin girls who are almost four and another little girl who is nearly three. All of their children were born in either August or September. Tom and his new wife Becky are expecting a child now as well. I say his new wife, but she is really not- they have been married close to four years now. I believe Henry wrote that the child would be due around Christmas time. That will certainly be a joyful present for Tom and Becky. I am happy for all of them and am sad that I cannot be present as a part of their happiness._

_ All of them assure me in their letters that they have not forgotten me and will continue to write to me- forever if need be. This concern makes me happy, however mine is a life sentence and I doubt that I will see any of them again before I die. This prison is top-security and visitors are not allowed. The inmates are not even allowed to write letters to people outside these walls. I can only hope and pray that my dear friends realize this and they never cease to write. But if they do, I shall understand. As times passes, I will become a remote figure that they remember from some distant past._

_ The demons that tormented them are gone- lost in a long ago oblivion. I suppose now I am facing my demons by taking the punishment for what I have done. I had always hoped that perhaps good deeds could redeem a man, but not in regards to the law. I shall live my last days honorably and with as much dignity as one is allowed to have in this place. I already keep many of the books for this place and make up many of the work schedules for inmates working in the workshop or laundry. I suppose that is a symbol of power and status in this place. It is a sort of honor among thieves. I never hurt women or children in my years of piracy- that was always a strict rule among pirates and was one that was never broken. When a man who has hurt women and children comes here- it is only a matter of days before he does himself in. No one is sad to see him go._

_ There is a young man here by the name of Jack. When we are allowed out in the courtyard, he sits with me and wants to hear stories of the Jekylls and the Sawyers. He wants to know about Hasaan and the Nautilus and my days as a pirate. I tell him my stories and he sits, fascinated. He is the first person I have ever known who is genuinely interested in my stories. I suppose my life may seem like one of the tales from One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. It must be intriguing to an outsider. I had told Tom and even Skinner some of my stories on the ship, but nothing very long or definitive. Jack receives no letters and always wants me to read the ones I receive to him. I strongly suspect that he cannot read or write. I think he is looking for a father figure or a mentor that he has probably never had. I do not mind being that person. I just think he could have found someone here who really is a father unlike myself._

_ The phrase that always strikes me is when Jack asks about my 'family.' He means Mina and Henry and Tom and Hasaan, but, now that I think about it, I suppose that they are my family. When the entire League was aboard the Nautilus, the feeling was that Quartermain and I were brothers while everyone else could be considered my children. I suppose that would make Mina and Henry's children my surrogate grandchildren. I had never thought about referring to dear friends as family before. I guess some people become family after all you and those people have been through together._

_ Around the prison, I am called the 'Captain.' I suppose it is appropriate since that was my proper title for many years. The guards here simply refer to me as 'Nemo.' I do not think they want to attempt to pronounce my proper name- the name I was born with. I do not know why I remember the name my family called me by as a young boy. I was so young when I became a cabin boy and aboard the ship they immediately renamed me Nemo. The images of a proper family had always haunted me when I was young and I had dreams of coming ashore one day and seeing my family waiting for me. Alas, they did not want me back as I would be another mouth to feed in a family that was already too large. My home became a ship and my family became hardened pirates._

_ I suppose that prison is not a bad place to be. Wealthy citizens who want to appear philanthropic donate dozens of books each year to the prison and we are allowed to read them. I feel as though I have read every book here in all genres of writing. Most of the books on science and philosophy are outdated, but I read them anyways. Many of them I read years ago when I was deep into my self-education. I had not read any storybooks for years and now I feel as though I have read too many. Not that it matters to the guards how our minds are exercised. But I would like to keep my mind sharp and not become dull-witted like many of the men who have been here for many more years than I._

A light shone through his cell window, bright and unnatural against the silver moonlight. Almost simultaneously with the light came the sounds of dogs barking and men shouting. A wry smile graced his face. What poor fool had tried to escape now? He would not get far. The entire building was surrounded by a high brick wall. Around that wall was a fence made of barbed wire. Even if one was to somehow scale the brick wall- that went several feet underground as well, the barbed wire was enough to make even the strongest man bleed to death. His body would be found in one of the fields that surrounded the prison. There was nothing around the prison- not even the smallest town- for miles and miles. One did not have a chance of escaping and staying alive to tell the tale.

Thinking for a moment, he dipped his pen in the ink, liking the soft scratching noise that the pen made over the paper. It was comforting that something so basic could still exist in this godless wasteland. He put the pen to the paper once more.

_I am told that I will have a parole trial soon. The guards tell me that I may be released on a policy of good behavior. I did not know such a policy existed and I suspect that it may have been invented to get me an earlier parole trial than I normally would have. Every ten years is the set time for a parole trial for someone with a life sentence. I suppose I will see if it happens and what the terms of the parole will be._

He considered signing the bottom of the page and then decided against it. He wanted this to be rather like the captain's log he used to keep on the Nautilus and he had never signed the captain's log. Gently lifting the book, he blew on the page to dry the ink quickly. He should have torn a scrap of paper from the book to blot the ink with, but he could not bring himself to maim such a fine book in that way- and especially not a book that would appear to have caused more than one person some trouble to procure for him.

Once he was satisfied that the ink was dry and would not smudge once he closed the book, he gently shut the covers of the book and slipped it amongst the books sitting on his table. All the other books were canvas or leather-bound and it was unlikely that the guards would notice something amiss. And all the other books varied in quality so a new book would not attract attention either. He carefully replaced the lid on the ink jar and used the tail of his shirt to wipe the ink from the pen. He kept his shirt tucked in at all times so no one would notice the ink stain and it could easily be explained as something that had happened while he was balancing the books for the prison.

Now the real question was where to hide the ink and the pen so that the guards would not become suspicious of it. He settled for behind one of the wider books that were shorter than all the other width-wise. It was not obvious that the book should be shorter than the others and it would take a guard trashing his cell to find the items. However, there was little danger of that since most of the guards left him well alone.

Inspecting his cell quickly to make sure that nothing was out of place, he lay down on his bed as was expected if a guard were to come by to check on them. However, he did not sleep as he rarely did here. Sleep was a luxury that could not be afforded here and the noises here were such that even if he did try to sleep, he would be awoken again in a matter of minutes by the creaking pipes, the slamming of gates from outside, the various snores and grunts from the other inmates and all manner of other things. It was nothing like the gentle hum of the motor on the Nautilus that would lull him to sleep many a night at sea.

And yet despite it all, he did not doubt that he belonged here. However, many of the guards would inquire of the inmates if they felt rehabilitated. He found that word to be completely misleading. What the guards wanted to know is if they felt sorry for doing whatever had landed them here. He knew that he felt remorse for it, but not because he was here. It was a deeper kind of remorse that ran straight to his very soul. He wanted to fall on his knees and pray to the gods. He wanted to ask them to help him live his life over again and omit all the terrible deeds that he had performed.

He closed his eyes, whispering a silent prayer. This place had made him something that he never wanted to be. It had taken away his sense of freedom. He longed to be away from here where he could write and read without fear of guards. He wanted to be able to take a leisurely stroll under the sun and not worry that other prisoners might have ill intentions towards him. But that was not possible and it would never be possible. The parole trial was probably a cruel joke on the behalf of the guards. He was going to be in this place for all the remaining days of his life and then be buried in an unmarked grave outside the prison walls. 


	2. Just A Dream Away

**Disclaimer: **The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**GODS AND GAMBLERS**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter One: Just A Dream Away**

_And when it's over, I dream again. The wise men say that it's all in vain, but do wise men go insane?_

There was a war between the cowboys and the Indians going on right outside the master bedroom complete with whooping war cries and simulated sounds of cannons, shotguns and the deadly whooshing of arrows. A rather loud tea party was going on just down the hallway from the cowboys and Indians war. The tea party included shrill shrieking every so often when the tea would end up somewhere other than the drinker's mouth. In his study, the room right below the master bedroom, a symphony was being played by the world's youngest composer who sounded like she was making up the music on the spot. The butler was in the back garden singing a song in his native tongue rather exuberantly. The only people in the house being quiet at this moment were the lord and lady of the manor.

Doctor Henry Jekyll, though he loved his children dearly, was ready to strangle every last one of them for some peace and quiet. He had been spoiled for many years by living alone and had taken the customary quiet for granted. Now, it was a luxury never to realize- not with four children running around the house along with a butler, nanny and housekeeper who also acted as a cook. The townhouse was always loud with some sort of noisy game or argument going on. The only peace came after the children were in bed, the two female employees had gone home and the butler [Hasaan] had retired to the apartment behind the house.

He rubbed his eyes for a moment and then flopped face first onto his and Mina's bed. Whatever thought he had about the movement stopping the noise was wrong, because the noise continued unabated. The cacophonous symphony that was his home seemed like it would never end.

The door that connected the bedroom to the sitting room opened and closed. The soft swishing of a skirt confirmed who it was.

"Henry," came Mina's voice with a reprimanding tone. "We have to be at the courthouse soon and you're not even dressed."

He rolled over on his back and surveyed his wife. Wilhelmina Jekyll, previously Harker and even before that Murray, was standing over him with an amused smile. She was clad in a becoming black dress and her reddish-brown hair was pulled back in a severe bun. And her statement had been correct. He was only wearing his pants and shirt- the rest of his ensemble was lying over the chair in front of Mina's dressing table. She smiled and sat next to him on the bed. If he hadn't known better, he would have never believed that she had four children.

"They're half yours, you know," she reminded him, picking up on the exact cause for his present distress.

"Well, they seemed like a good idea at the time," he muttered.

"And now they're growing up."

"I don't ever remember being that noisy as a child."

Mina laughed. "You were an only child. And I imagine that you were the type of child who would have preferred to read than play outside."

"And I'm sure you were the little hellion who ran all her dresses through the mud." He paused. "Which would explain where Rosemary gets it from."

She just laughed and shook her head. Rosemary was their youngest child- she was almost three and had a penchant for getting dirtier and ruining more clothes than her older brother. "Hurry up, Henry," she said leaning over him and planting a kiss on his forehead. "We do have an appointment to keep." She stood up and exited their bedroom. Her soft voice could be heard in the hallway, telling Tommy to move his cowboys and Indians war in his bedroom.

Henry smiled to himself and stood up. One boy and three girls… he would have liked it to be a more even split between the two genders, but that did not happen. He remembered the awe and excitement when Tommy had been born. Of course, he had delivered many children throughout the course of his career, but it was much different when it was his own. And now Tommy was five and it seemed like only yesterday he had been born. The lad did not have much time as an only child, because the twins- Catherine and Mary Anne- were born only a year later and Rosemary a year after that. And those four were more than enough.

He quickly adjusted his suspenders and then attached his collar to his shirt. The court summons they had received had seemed fairly random. He was not entirely sure it was customary practice for certain individuals to be asked to be present during a trial. Perhaps, in some cases, the individual would be needed as a witness, but he could not imagine what he and Mina might have seen that would cause them to be witnesses to a crime. His fingers deftly tied his tie. And who in the world did they know that might be on trial? It was not Skinner- the man had been around only yesterday looking for some fiscal assistance. And if Skinner had landed himself in jail- again- they usually received some sort of message asking them to post his bail.

No… it wasn't Skinner. And even though Rosemary was fascinated by the fact that he was invisible, if Skinner had to stay somewhere for the night, it was always across the square with Tom and Becky. Not only did they not have the room here, Henry was not entirely sure he wanted the thief- however much of a gentleman- around his children.

Then who could it be? Nemo was not due for a parole trial for another four years and it was unlikely that the authorities would let him out anyways. The Captain did have a life sentence and he would not be released after serving only six years of it. Henry shrugged to himself and put on his vest and jacket. Quickly combing his hair once more and putting his pocket watch and billfold in place, he left the bedroom, glad the hallway was free of the cowboys and Indians war and the tin and pewter figures that went with it. The tea party appeared to have ended, but the symphony was still in full force.

He walked quickly down the stairs and to the back of the house on the first floor. "Rosemary! Get off the piano!" he called into his study. The 'music' stopped and there was a soft thud as the three-year-old slid off the piano bench. A tiny waif-like figure appeared in the doorway of his study with a grin plastered all over her face.

"Papa," she said in a voice that reminded him very much of the times Mina would roll her eyes and say 'Henry.' With one hand on her hip, the girl even looked like Mina. Rosemary scooped up a doll she had left outside the door to his study and made for the stairs. Henry tried not to laugh, remembering how he had told her she was not allowed to bring her toys in his study. At least she had listened.

"Rosemary, you are too smart for your own good," he muttered, walking into his study and quickly inspecting it for renegade dolls. When he decided that the room was doll-free, he sat down at his desk and opened his appointment book to the next day.

He would be at the clinic all day tomorrow- there were appointments from the time he officially opened to when he closed and that would not include any drop-ins. Pennington- his assistant, a young man fresh out of medical school- would have to take care of any of those. His blue eyes glanced at the unopened letter lying on his desk. It was from the local hospital wanting him to join the staff as their Chief Surgeon. That was a responsibility he did not want as it would drain him of time and energy that could be much better spent at home. He had a perfectly prosperous business with the clinic and between the income from that, his family's money and Mina's job teaching science at the young ladies' college… well, they had a comfortable income on which to live.

Shutting the book, he stood up and left his study, shutting the door behind him. Hasaan was coming in from the back garden and bowed when he saw Henry. Hasaan had been Nemo's butler aboard the Nautilus, but had asked if he could work for Mina and Henry when Nemo was arrested. They had agreed. Hasaan was extraordinarily likable now that he was not something of a housekeeper as he had been on the Nautilus. He dressed in authentic garb from India, bowed to everyone and called them 'Sahib.'

"The carriage will be here in twenty minutes, Dr. Jekyll," Hasaan said, his voice tinged with a slight accent. A large basket was over his arm, indicating that the vegetables in it were going to be part of the menu for that night's supper.

"Thank you, Hasaan," he replied. Hasaan bowed again and left the small parlor to a side door leading to the kitchen.

Hasaan was, for all intents and purposes, Nemo's solicitor. He took care of all the financial assets and property including the Nautilus. However, all of Nemo's accounts were frozen except for the rather generous trust fund that was in Hasaan's name. In fact, the fund was such that Hasaan did not have to work another day in his life, but insisted upon remaining the butler for the Jekylls. The Nautilus- which, it turns out, had co-owners, Nemo and Hasaan- was in dry dock at this moment. Henry did not know where and did not think that Hasaan was going to divulge the information. The idea behind the co-ownership was that if something happened to Nemo- either death or prison- the ship would go entirely to Hasaan and not to the British government or anyone else. And it had worked. No one would be privileged to Nemo's science unless he wanted them to be.

Voices came from the hallway and he assumed that Hasaan had given the cook the vegetables and then had run into Rosemary on his way to attend to a matter upstairs. "Missee Sahib," Hasaan said in a doting voice. "Should you not be in the nursery?"

"Ah," Rosemary started in her small voice. "P-ano?" she asked. Henry smiled to himself. She still could not pronounce 'piano' and insisted not even trying to pronounce the 'i.'

"I believe we have heard enough of your beautiful music for one day. Perhaps you should allow me to accompany you back upstairs?"

Silence came from the hallway. Henry smiled, knowing that Rosemary had gone upstairs with Hasaan and would not be causing more trouble down here.

He shook his head and went into the front hallway to wait for the carriage

* * *

Wilhelmina Jekyll was entirely ill at ease with the courtroom situation. They had arrived at the courthouse early and were immediately stopped by a police officer. He named the prison that he was a guard for and Mina recognized it as the one where Nemo was.

"We would like to know if you would be willing to take in a prisoner until his parole period is over and his assets are released back to him," the man had asked.

"It would depend entirely upon who the prisoner is," Henry had replied diplomatically, expertly hiding the fact that he would sooner jump off a bridge than take in a hardened criminal.

The officer had nodded respectfully. "It will, of course, be entirely your choice." With that, the man had gone off through a side door in the courthouse. Now, she was sitting on the hard bench next to Henry, wondering why they were here and wishing it was over already. She almost wished she was still a vampire, because then it would have been quite easy to lay the place to waste. But no… she did not want that evil anymore.

The trial had yet to start. Her mind wandered to her job… the girls she taught at the college had all assumed that she was single and had no plans to marry. None of them understood that she loved her family dearly, but would also not give up her work for them. All of the girls had an idea that once they married they were confined to the home and family. Mina knew that society looked down on her for what did, God did she know it, but the results were well worth it. She glanced at Henry's profile. There was no way he would have told her 'no' when she said she was going to teach. He believed in her independence as much as she did. And he was probably afraid of the physical damage she could inflict…

The judge walked into the room and everyone stood. Two guards came in from a side door and a man- presumably a prisoner- walked between them. It was Nemo.

She felt her heart constrict in her chest. Henry grasped her hand and she knew that he was feeling exactly the same thing. What had happened to Nemo in prison? Her mind flashed to the regal, proud captain of the Nautilus- a man who would never stoop to anyone and answered only to God himself. The man looked like Nemo, but something was amiss. He had lost weight. The clothes he was wearing were the ones he had been arrested in six years earlier and they hung off his frame. His dark brown hair now had prominent gray streaks, defining his age that had previously been hidden. The turban had been unfolded and Nemo held it gingerly in his hands as the guards motioned for him to sit on a long bench in front of the court.

The judge sat down and everyone in attendance at the court followed suit. Her azure eyes flicked to the front of the court. There was no jury, no reporters- almost as if someone wanted this covered up. And it was all wrong. No prisoners with a life sentence got a parole trial for the first ten years at least. It had been only six years for Nemo. Something was wrong and she was not entirely sure what it was. Her gaze went back to Nemo. He was sitting straight and tall as though he wanted to prove that something had not been broken within his mind. His expression was calm and his almost black eyes said nothing about what he was feeling.

Mina exchanged a glance with Henry, blue eyes meeting blue eyes. His eyes were darker than hers with specks of hazel in them. Those bits of hazel had not been there when she met him many years ago- as the tormented Dr. Jekyll with his alter ego, Mr. Hyde. The beast had finally allowed the reintegration process after he had helped them to destroy Count Dracula.

The judge picked up a piece of paper and then looked at it again. He then cleared his throat. "Captain… er… Nemo." He paused and surveyed Nemo from over the tops of his glasses. "Please rise."

Nemo stood gracefully, his hands folded behind his back, still clutching the unfolded turban. The bright blue fabric caused quite a contrast from his dark skin.

"You have been accused of piracy…" The judge then went on to list a number of crimes that seemed to go on forever. Mina raised an eyebrow. It was hard to believe that Nemo was a hardened criminal. He was always the gentle humane man in her eyes, not a ruthless pirate. Nemo did not look in the slightest way disturbed by the list of crimes.

The judge finally finished his speech. "Are you guilty of these crimes?"

Nemo inclined his head towards the judge. "I am," he answered simply.

"You have served six years of a life sentence, do you feel that you have been rehabilitated?"

The former captain's expression did not change. "I was rehabilitated for my crimes many years before I was arrested."

The judge actually began to turn red with fury. "Explain yourself!" he sputtered.

The mere fact that Nemo did not seem intimidated or eager to be released seemed to be the main factor adding to the judge's infuriation. Mina felt sorry for Nemo, if that was he had to deal with for six years. She had no doubts that he handled everything in his normal regal fashion, but it couldn't have been easy in any sense. Nemo's expression never changed and his hands remained behind his back, holding the turban.

"I was raised a cabin boy and knew no other way of life. If the Crown could not prevent a small boy from being corrupted by pirates, then I do not know what they can do. The only logical conclusion would be that the government allows criminals to be raised and then punishes them when they know no other way of life. In essence, you create criminals and then punish what you have created." Nemo paused. "I saw the suffering of my fellow man many years ago and when I saw that I decided that I must help others instead of stealing from them and killing them."

The judge was beet red by this time. Mina glanced from him to Nemo. Something was not right. The judge opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. Mina followed the judge's gaze and saw a man sitting in the front row of the courtroom. The man had a sharp look on his face and was nodding, almost imperceptibly, at the judge. It was like he was urging the judge to decide something that the judge was disinclined to decide.

"Is that all you have to say in your defense?" the judge asked, barely controlling his rage.

Nemo nodded, pleasantly.

The judge opened and closed his mouth several times, his beady black eyes never once leaving the man in the front row. He banged his gavel several times although it was unnecessary- the entire courtroom was completely silent. Mina exchanged a glance with Henry and knew that he was thinking the same thing as her- something was wrong.

The judge took in a deep breath. "Captain Nemo, I…" 

_To Be Continued..._


	3. White City Lights

**Disclaimer: **The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**GODS AND GAMBLERS**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Two: White City Lights**

_As free as a bird for a man on the run… when other lights shine and leave me in the dark, you're always there, you're happy from the start. But we're still separated and it's breaking my heart._

"Captain Nemo, I find you completely rehabilitated. I grant you parole on the following terms- that you remain with a guardian the Crown will appoint for six months and after that time, if you have kept the parole, you will be granted total freedom."

The judge banged the gavel. It was still quite unnecessary for him to be repeating the action, but it seemed to give him some comfort. Henry's eyes flicked from the judge back to Nemo. There was no expression on his face, not even the slightest hint of anything. The man from the front row approached the judge and handed him a slip of paper. Perhaps he was a government official of some type. The judge opened the folded piece of paper and his eyes narrowed to slits as he read it.

"Dr. and Mrs. Henry Jekyll."

Henry started. Mina gave him a questioning look. He wanted to smile and reassure her that he had been slightly jumpy before the invention of Hyde, but did not quite manage the smile part of it or the reassurance part.

"Please rise."

He pulled himself to his feet, feeling the sagging feeling in his legs. He wondered if he would be able to stand after the judge said what he was going to say.

"Would you act as a guardian appointed by the Crown for Captain Nemo?"

He was at a loss for words. None of this seemed natural at all. Was the Crown always appointing guardians as a part of parole? He could not remember—not that he followed court trials very much at all. Mina elbowed him in the side, her sharp elbow going right between his ribs and temporarily knocking the wind out of him.

"Yes!" he replied before massaging his side. Good Lord, that woman was going to be the death of him soon either directly or indirectly.

The guards were handing Nemo a sheaf of papers. The judge banged his gavel again and announced that the court was dismissed. The man from the front row approached them. Henry immediately did not like him—he was a weedy looking man, the type with too much cream and finery and not enough real person.

"Dr. and Mrs. Jekyll?"

Henry nodded slightly to show he was listening. Mina gave him a sharp look. He returned the look with one of his own that expressed his complete ignorance as to what the concern was. She narrowed her eyes—and he was lucky she didn't elbow him again.

"I need you to sign the paperwork agreeing to act as guardian for Captain Nemo."

He nodded and they followed the man up to the judge's stand. The man produced a piece of paper. Henry quickly scanned it and, upon finding no extraneous statements or promises beyond letting Nemo stay with them, he signed it. When Mina made the move to sign the document as well, the man snatched it away from them.

"We only need Dr. Jekyll's signature," the man said in a smug voice. Cold fury smoldered in Mina's eyes. Henry was willing to bet, that if this man was married, he probably beat his wife.

"My wife lives at the house too and she contributes to our income. She has as much say in who stays there as I do. She has a right to sign as well," Henry protested.

"We only need your signature," the man repeated and disappeared with the paper through a side door in the courtroom.

Henry only had to glance at Mina to find out how angry she was. Her hands were closed into tight fists and her knuckles were white. He gently touched her arm, more to warn against any public displays of temper than the anger itself. She sighed, some of the anger leaving only to be replaced by sadness. He gave her a tentative smile. "It'll be all right," he whispered.

She shook her head. "I almost wish I were still a vampire. Then I could get rid of that man with no regrets." Her voice was soft. Henry stifled a laugh.

"There were advantages, but would you really want it back?"

Mina rolled her eyes. "What do you think?"

He just smiled.

"Henry? Mina?"

They both turned at once. Nemo was slowly approaching them—he now walked with a pronounced limp and appeared as though he really needed a cane, but was too proud to actually use one. Now that Henry saw him closer, he could tell that the gray streaks were very prominent through his hair and beard.

"Hello Nemo," he replied softly.

A slight smile crinkled the corners of the captain's mouth and he embraced each of them warmly. Nemo had never been a large person—always slight of build and stature. But now he seemed emaciated and frail. It almost made Henry wonder if he had eaten anything at all while he was in prison.

"I am happy to see you doing well," Nemo said.

Henry just grinned. "You received our letters?"

"They kept me alive."

Mina linked her arm through Nemo's. "Come on. We've got a carriage waiting."

As they made their way to the back of the courtroom, one of the guards from the prison called after Nemo, "We'll send your belongings from the jail along later!"

Nemo turned slightly to indicate that he heard. The guard appeared to be a rather congenial person—not the same guard that had questioned them before the trial. Henry watched Mina and Nemo heading for the lobby of the courthouse. He gave the guard a sharp look and motioned to him. The guard nodded and approached.

"Anything wrong, Doctor Jekyll?" the guard asked.

Henry shook his head. "No. Do you know who that man in front row was?"

The friendly look on the guard's face turned sour. "Him?" The man's lip curled into a sneer. "He's head of the prison. Doesn't treat anyone there fairly at all. It's up to us guards to keep order." The guard paused. "But that isn't the half of it. The scuttlebutt around the prison is that he had higher connections with the government and he takes bribes to get certain prisoners out earlier."

Henry sighed. "Prisoners like Nemo?"

"I can't say for sure. Although Nemo never caused any trouble. I don't know why he was there in the first place. And I can't imagine why anyone would want him out earlier. I mean he is a quiet chap and it's hard to say what's in his mind. He seems smart enough, but not overly so. If you follow my meaning."

He nodded and thanked the guard. The guard headed back towards one of the side doors in the room. Henry stood still for moment, absorbing what the guard had just said. Oh there was a reason that someone in the government would want Nemo out early. And it all came down to one word—Nautilus.

What those men did not know was that they were never going to pry the secret out of Nemo no matter how hard they tried.

* * *

Nemo was quiet in the carriage. Mina and Henry talked at length about the family and their current state of affairs. When that subject had been covered, they moved into Tom and Becky and Skinner and everything else that he had missed for the past six years. He only replied with a smile or a nod in the appropriate places. It was hard to believe that he had spent the last six years believing he would die in prison and now he was a free man once more. Well, not entirely free. He had to stay with Mina and Henry—and use up their money, money they needed for themselves and their children. It was not a situation to his liking.

Perhaps he could have Hasaan loan him money from the trust fund. Once all his assets were completely released back to him, there would be more than enough to repay anything he borrowed from anyone. But that was six months away. He would have rather died in jail than taken the situation as it was—this was completely degrading. Was it only six years ago that he had been the regal and proud captain of the Nautilus? Now his boat was in dry dock, his crew disbanded and he was forced to take charity for six months.

No, the situation was definitely not to his liking.

The carriage pulled up in front of a row of townhouses. In fact, the entire square was townhouses. Nemo glanced at the gray stone buildings. He had not ever been to this part of London. In fact, he avoided London when sailing just because of the relative state of the city. Even the low life ruffians working the docks could be bribed by the government. In other countries it was not like that. When they were in port in India, everyone on the dock took extreme precautions to not speak of word of it for fear the government would do something. Henry and Mina got out of the carriage. He followed them, taking in the sights and sounds of the square.

There was a small park in the center of the square. A young mother—or a nanny, it was hard to say—was watching two small boys play. An elderly man sat on a bench reading the newspaper. Nemo now knew why they had wanted to live here—especially if they had been planning on having children from the start.

Before anyone had put a foot on one of the several steps leading to the front door, the door in question opened. Hasaan burst out, followed by a little girl who was obviously one of the Jekyll children. The butler nodded to the lord and lady of the house in a way that could be described as hurried rather than insolent. The girl did not even acknowledge her parents but followed Hasaan down the steps. Hasaan stopped in front of Nemo and bowed.

"Sahib," his former butler said, valiantly trying to mask the emotion in his voice. A lump lodged at the back of Nemo's throat. Until this very moment, he had not realized how much he really missed Hasaan. When the butler straightened, he embraced Hasaan. The man returned the embrace.

Hasaan stepped away from Nemo and the little girl piped up. "Is he Captain Nemo?"

Hasaan smiled. "May I present Mistress Rosemary Jekyll?"

Nemo nodded at the little girl. "I am Captain Nemo."

Rosemary put on hand on her hip and gave him an appraising look. She could not have been more than three and she looked startlingly like Mina—right down to the way she gave people appraising looks. "He looks like you said he would," she said to Hasaan. "But he needs to have some dinner."

The girl's speech—while remarkably clear for a child her age—was a bit garbled and paused in places. Hasaan rolled his eyes, while Nemo smiled. Rosemary moved closer to him and put her small hand in his. "Would you tell me my bedtime story tonight?" she asked in mock whisper.

"Of course," he said. Those tiny blue eyes lit up. A feeling Nemo had never known washed over him. This girl wanted to know him despite any of the rumors she may have heard. It almost made him wish that he had had a family after all. Rosemary continued to hold his hand as they made their way into the house and went with him to inspect the small apartment and he and Hasaan would share.

Perhaps this would be another young soul interested in his stories.

* * *

The lights in the house were dimmed. Henry sighed to himself as he walked into the front entry hall—Hasaan would have gone to bed as he did not want to be waited up for. After they had gotten back from the courthouse and everyone settled in, Pennington had called with an emergency that he could not take. It turns out that two mothers had gone into labor at the same time. And since Pennington could not be in two places at once, he called Henry and asked him to come help. Well, that was over. At least it had not been an extraordinarily long labor.

He stopped as he hung his hat and overcoat. Soft voices were coming from the back of the house—and a soft light was on. Smiling to himself, he made sure no one would trip over his bag in the morning and made his way towards the parlor.

Rosemary was sitting on one of the armchairs. Nemo was kneeling in the middle of the floor as if he were acting out a story for her. The limp that Jekyll had noticed earlier was still there and even more pronounced, but it did not seem to be deterring Nemo from anything. Rosemary looked like a large doll in her white nightgown with her dark red hair loose. Nemo, on the other hand, looked regal and proud once more in white Indian garb.

"And then, when the evil vizier looked into the basin, who did he see?"

"Aladdin!" Rosemary cried.

Nemo straightened. "He did indeed. So the vizier formed a plan to make sure Aladdin ended up in jail so he could trick him into getting the lamp."

"So what happened?" Rosemary prompted.

"Well," Nemo replied slowly. "The beautiful princess decided that she was tired of palace life. So she dressed as a beggar woman and went out into the marketplace. But she took an apple off a cart and gave it to a small child. She did not know that that was stealing. The palace guards started to chase her."

"Did Aladdin help?"

Rosemary looked so eager that Jekyll smiled to himself, watching the pair from the shadows. Nemo just smiled at her eagerness.

"Of course, he did. They out ran the guards and went back to the small room that Aladdin lived in. 'We have a beautiful view of the palace,' Aladdin told the princess. At this, the princess was rather downcast. Aladdin did not notice. 'Wouldn't it be wonderful to live there?' The princess replied, 'Yes. If you want people running your life every moment.' But at that moment, the palace guards found them."

Nemo clapped his hands to imitate the sound of a door falling in. Rosemary gasped audibly, her eyes wide as saucers.

"The princess revealed who she truly was and tried to help Aladdin, but she could not overrule their order. You see, their orders came directly from the vizier. They arrested Aladdin and took him back to the palace. The princess also went back to the palace to plead Aladdin's case. She wanted to save him.

"But when she went to the vizier, he told her that he had been executed. The princess was crushed. But what she did not know was that Aladdin was still alive." Rosemary was sitting intently waiting for the rest of the story. "With the princess in mourning, the vizier hatched the rest of his plan. He disguised himself as an old prisoner and told Aladdin of the plan. Not knowing who the old man really was, Aladdin agreed and the two of them set off to the Caves of Mystery to find the lamp."

"And then what happened?"

Nemo smiled. "I believe that is enough of the story today."

"Does it end there?" Rosemary asked innocently.

"Certainly not!" Nemo replied. "I shall tell you more of the story tomorrow evening."

Henry slipped back into the front hall and went up the stairs quickly, knowing that Nemo would be brining Rosemary up in a few seconds. The pair did not need to know that he had seen them. He quietly opened the door to the master bedroom and stepped inside. One lamp was still on. Mina was sitting in an armchair, an open book in her lap. Henry walked over to her and gently kissed her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open.

"You're back," she whispered.

He nodded and gently picked her up, laying her in the bed. He quickly stripped out of his clothes and put on his nightshirt. Once they were both in bed and sufficiently entangled in one another's arms, Henry smiled. He needed to send a message over to Tom and Becky tomorrow since they would want to call on Nemo. 

_To Be Continued..._

**Author's Note:** Thanks to all who reviewed. I am back and quoting as many other movies as I can-- although it probably will not be as blatant this time around. :) The next chapter will feature the return of a voice silent until now. -Etcy


	4. Without Your Love

**Disclaimer: **The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie is copyright of 20th Century Fox. No infringement is intended.

**GODS AND GAMBLERS**

By Etcetera Kit

**Chapter Three: Without Your Love**

_If I could travel far, if I could touch the stars, what would it mean without your love?_

He did not have to send the message the next morning or even try to ring them. Tom Sawyer was on his front doorstep as he was coming home from the clinic. In fact, Henry nearly tripped over him when going up the stairs. Tom had been sitting on the top step.

"Must you look like a beggar on my front stoop?" Henry asked after regaining his balance. Tom just grinned, blonde hair disheveled and brown eyes sparkling. Henry rolled his eyes at the younger man and made to open the front door. Tom had a job working at a bank—and one could never tell it by his attire. He might have been properly dressed at work, but of the proper suit top the only parts remaining were the shirt and vest. The typical long black overcoat accompanied.

Henry opened the front door and Tom followed him inside the house. As he hung up his coat and hat, Tom did the same thing as if he lived there. And the young man might as well have lived there—he was over often enough and most of the time without an invitation.

"Dare I ask where Becky is?"

The signature grin followed. "At home—resting—like you told her to."

Becky, Tom's young wife, was several months pregnant and although the baby was not due until Christmas Henry had told her to get as much rest as possible. It was the young couple's first child after four years of marriage. In a way, it made him slightly jealous since he and Mina had Tommy after their first year of marriage.

Tom stuck his hands in his pockets, his suspenders trailing along his sides instead of on his shoulders where they should have been. Henry rolled his eyes. Some things never change and there was no point in telling Tom that most men did not dress as he did. They walked towards the parlor. Hasaan greeted them with a bow.

"Is Mina home yet?" Henry asked the butler.

Hasaan shook his head. "Not yet. I believe she said she may have to stay a bit later for the faculty meeting."

Henry nodded. The girls were in the parlor, giggling inanely. Tommy was probably upstairs either reading or creating yet another cowboys and Indians war—making himself scarce around all these women. He and Tom walked in the parlor. Henry tried to keep his mouth from dropping open. The girls were sitting around the coffee table drinking the extraordinarily sweetened tea—made so with lots of honey and sugar. Nemo was sitting in one of the armchairs smiling at their antics. Catherine and Mary Anne—the twins—looked the same as always with their identical dark red hair and blue eyes. They had managed to keep their dresses semi-neat and clean. Rosemary was her normal wreck with her hair coming out of the bow and one prominent dirt streak on her dress.

And the captain seemed to be enjoying this.

The housekeeper came through the side door of the kitchen and handed Nemo a cup of tea. The smile on her face was enough to tell him that she was sparing him from drinking the girls' tea. Then of course, Tom found nothing wrong with the tea that the girls drank. The housekeeper then began to shoo the girls away. When they began to protest, Nemo intervened.

"Ladies, it has been a pleasure taking tea with you, but I am afraid we must attend to boring adult matters now. You would be much more amused in the nursery."

Amazingly, none of the girls had a protest. "Who are they and what have they done with your real daughters?" Tom whispered in his ear.

Henry stifled a laugh, watching the girls insist on giving Nemo a hug and kiss on the cheek before they allowed the housekeeper to herd them upstairs. The captain placed his cup of tea on a small table next to the armchair and got to his feet slowly to greet Tom. Henry wanted to know where that limp came from. Tom, however, prevented him from doing much walking and crossed the room to accept the captain's embrace.

"Glad to see you out," Tom said with a grin.

Nemo gave a rueful smile. "It is good to be out."

"Enjoy tea with the terrible trio?"

The captain just shook his head. "They are children and have a right to act so. It is a tragedy that they want to grow up before their time."

"Shall we adjourn to my study?" Henry asked and the three of them went into the door leading to the study. He locked the door behind them and poured generous glasses of brandy. Once everyone was settled in a chair, the conversation began.

"Hasaan invited me and Becky for dinner tonight," Tom informed him.

Henry just shook his head. "Everyone runs my life except for me," he muttered.

Tom laughed. Nemo looked slightly puzzled. "How so?"

"Oh, Hasaan runs the house his way down to the dinner invitations and the housekeeper encourages him. And my wife also runs my life."

Tom snickered. "And when a problem comes up that they don't want to fuss with, they dust him off and prop him up in the parlor to deal with it."

He had to agree. "That's accurate," he replied dryly. "Although you can't say that things at your house are much better between Becky and Mrs. Devine."

The grin never left the young American's face. "Yes, my housekeeper and my wife do have a penchant for rearranging my life without informing me." Tom raised his glass. "Here's to our wives running our lives!"

"I'll drink to that!" Henry agreed, taking in a gulp of brandy.

Nemo just smiled and shook his head. "Ah, the things I missed out on by not having a family."

"Don't worry," Tom said, patting Nemo on the back, "You can be a part of our families."

Nemo coughed on the brandy. "I'm overjoyed," he replied.

Henry shook his head. "So do I dare ask how you found out that Nemo was here?"

"I will have you know that I saw the carriage," Tom said acting like he was highly affronted.

"You're a bad liar," Henry muttered.

"All right, all right," Tom conceded with a sour look on his face. "Your housekeeper told my housekeeper when they were at the market this morning and then my housekeeper told my wife and my wife told me." He paused. "And all of this happened before I even went to work."

The three of them laughed. A soft knock came on the study door. Henry stood up, unlocked the door and opened it. Mina came in—and did not look surprised to see the three of them in the study.

"I have been informed that dinner will be at seven," she said. She gave Tom a sharp look. "Shouldn't you go back across the square and escort your wife over here properly."

Tom shrugged. "What for? She's walked across the square by herself before."

Mina glared at him and picked up a book sitting on Henry's desk. She then threw the book squarely at Tom's nose. Luckily enough for him, he ducked it. The book fell to the floor beyond Tom's chair with a soft 'thud.'

"All right! I'm going!" Tom muttered and stood up, leaving the study.

Nemo got slowly to his feet and gave them a slight bow. "I will retire to my quarters now to dress for dinner."

Then Henry and Mina were alone in the study. He smiled. "We were just talking about how our wives run our lives." He walked over to the book on the floor, picked up and closed it while smoothing a few wrinkled pages. "How many times must I ask you not to throw my books at Sawyer?"

Mina just looked at him. "Then do not put your books in easy reach when that boy does or says something stupid."

Henry just continued to smile. He pushed the door to the study shut with his foot and pulled Mina into his arms. She returned the smile and settled against his chest. "Why do I have the nasty feeling that things will never be quiet around here?"

He laughed. "Because they never will be?" He gently lifted her chin with his fingers and planted a quick but firm kiss on her lips.

"You can do better than that," she admonished. He grinned and pulled her into a searing lip lock, parting her lips with his tongue and exploring the mouth he loved so. A slight pink flush appeared in her cheeks. "Must we wait until tonight?" she whispered.

He quickly looked at his pocket watch. It was quarter past six. "We have some time until dinner. How quickly can you dress?"

She narrowed her eyes. "The question is not how quickly I can dress—it is how quickly I can undress."

He laughed and took her hand. They moved as quickly as they dared to their bedroom where he locked the door behind them. It was definitely going to be a productive forty-five minutes before dinner.

* * *

Becky, as it turns out, happened to be a sweet, golden haired lady with an easy temperament. Nemo found it hard to believe that she actually rearranged much of Tom's life—that was probably his housekeeper. The childhood sweetheart of Tom Sawyer did live up to the expectations gleaned from the letters. Her blue eyes sparkled and she just smiled whenever Tom went on and on about something irrelevant. And she was indeed with child.

"I should set up practice targets in the house," Tom said as they were all seated at the table before dinner was served. Present at dinner was Tom and Becky, Henry and Mina and himself. Tom was referring to keeping in shape in regards to his skills with firearms.

"Tom," Becky said, barely masking her smile. "Remember the time you shot one of Mrs. Devine's good feather pillows? Because you thought it was a burglar? And then she tried to skin you alive. I don't think shooting in the house would be a good idea."

Tom nodded. "And there's still a bullet hole in that chair."

Becky just shook her head—the smile becoming more and more evident.

When Tom and Becky arrived, she seemed extraordinarily pleased to be meeting him. Her voice was soft and tinged with the slight accent that Sawyer had. "Tom's told me so much about you, I feel like I already know you," she had said.

He wondered what would make a woman just leave her family and friends and everything she had ever known to come to a foreign country to marry a man. But Becky seemed like she was happy—and she got on well with their housekeeper, something he imagined was not easy to do. His things from the prison had arrived earlier that day—while there was not much that was of use to him, there was the journal. He had only made that one entry that tried to catalogue where the captain's log from the Nautilus would have ended. Smiling, he had put it in a drawer in his quarters. No one now would be interested in it—and he had left much out. But someone would and right now she was only three.

Hasaan had taken the liberty of rearranging his life for the next week. His butler had insisted on scheduling an appointment with a tailor—the one they used when in port in London who was from India and used only fabric from India—to be measured for new clothes. He then wanted Nemo to accompany him to find furnishings for their apartment behind the house. Nemo assumed that they would be going only to the best places to find such furnishings and he could imagine what Hasaan had in mind—rich Oriental or animal skin rugs, wooden furniture with fine upholstery and elaborate carvings, paintings all the way from India, small statues of the gods and many other things. It was a way to turn the apartment into a room from a palace of a prince in India, a way to forget that they really dwelled in London. Hasaan had also made noises about going to get his possessions from the storage area where the Nautilus was in dry dock.

He smiled at the spirited exchange between Sawyer and Jekyll about who had their life rearranged by females the most.

And it was at that moment that the Jekylls' housekeeper chose to bring in the dinner. Some kind of chicken dish. Hasaan came around and served everyone wine. Nemo almost wanted to tell these people to stop treating him like visiting royalty—it was something that he no longer deserved. But he knew, deep down, that these people were happy to see him.

Nemo raised an eyebrow at the chicken. Becky caught the expression and grinned. In an undertone, she told him that it was the housekeeper's special chicken recipe. The chickens had been marinating in plum wine sauce since last night and they were filled with her special rice and nut stuffing. She also added that she had taken the recipe from Mrs. Devine and altered it some.

"I also hear she's made some kind of chocolate cake for dessert and that woman never makes desert," Becky said softly.

"Surely she does not have diminished wages and she is given ample funds with which to purchase food?" Nemo was bit taken aback. It was a servant's duty to make sure that their employer's wants were met. And if a family one was in the employ of wanted desert than they should get it on a regular basis.

Becky stifled a laugh. "For certain, but that woman is a miser if I ever saw one. I keep telling Mina to fire her and get a new one."

"She seemed friendly enough."

"She does, until you get to know her. There is a reason that she is not the nanny to the children." Becky shook her head. "Mrs. Devine already said that she would work as a nanny once the baby was born." She laughed. "I'll have to see about that. She is a wonderful housekeeper and it would be hard to replace her."

"I must meet Mrs. Devine."

"Oh, she'll probably invite you over for dinner soon."

They turned back to the main conversation and they were talking about—Skinner?

"He's got himself a one month stretch this time," Tom was saying. "Couldn't post the bail because they are not letting him out until his time is up."

"I don't understand why you continue to help that man," Becky said, obviously not a huge advocate of Skinner's presence.

"He's a friend and he's invisible."

Becky rolled her eyes. "Invisible or no, he's a rotten house guest."

Mina stifled a laugh and the two women exchanged a knowing glance. Nemo refrained from shaking his head—Mina never had a great liking for Skinner. And the invisible man did have a penchant for annoying her.

"So are you going to house him when he gets out?" Henry asked.

Tom shrugged. "I guess so. And it would only be for a few days," he added quickly upon seeing Becky's disgusted look.

"You said that last time and he was there for a month!" Becky glared at him, her pretty eyes becoming daggers. Tom looked sheepish. "Let him go live with that girlfriend of his or let him go to a poor house or something!"

"He could go to his girlfriend's house. The only trouble is she thinks he's dead."

Becky rolled her eyes. There were some things that Nemo was never destined to understand. Rodney Skinner was a self-proclaimed gentleman thief and he still had his hand out for what anyone was willing to give him. Nemo could attest to the fact that if a thief was careful, he could live quite comfortably. It would be interesting to see the invisible man again when he was out of the local jail.

When dinner was over and the housekeeper had cleared the dishes, she brought in a large German chocolate cake and began to serve it. Henry looked mildly surprised—as though it was an unusual occurrence. Becky was right. He would have to talk to Hasaan about interviewing for a new housekeeper while the butler was so busy rearranging his life. And there was no reason that he could not step into the 'rearranging someone else's life' mode for a while. It would fill the time before Skinner made an appearance. If he could ever get out of jail. 

_To Be Continued..._

**Author's Note:** Wow! It's been a while since I updated this story. I was going through my files and found a chapter of this that I had not posted. Here it is (was) for anyone interested to enjoy. I'm not entirely sure when the next update will be. I'd like to finish this story and hope to get back to it in the coming months. I can't promise anything. Thanks to anyone and everyone who's reviewed. Your support means a lot to me. -Etcy


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